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Palestine/Israel: A Jewish Voice for Peace

A Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) is a San Francisco Bay Area grassroots organization dedicated to the human, civil and economic rights of Jews, Palestinians, and all peoples in the Middle East.

Their newsletter Jewish Peace News reports that in the Bay Area, "The local Hillel has seen anti-Jewish graffiti on its property and a cinder block was thrown through its front door. The trend, wherever it may be found, is quite disturbing. The connection between increased anti-Jewish feeling and actions and the recent events in Israel/Palestine is obvious, to be sure. Yet it should also be noted that individuals and groups with their own reactionary agenda, who are motivated by the hatred of Jews and not by any heartfelt support of the Palestinian cause have often latched onto opposition to Israel to further their own agendas. David Duke, the famous White Supremacist and former leader in the Ku Klux Klan has done a great deal of writing and speaking on the subject, for example."

"Rising attacks on Jews outside of Israel clearly reinforce the Israeli and global Jewish sense of fighting defensively and the sense that there is no safety for Jews. Equally clearly, as acknowledged by the vast majority of Palestinian activists, leaders and supporters, they hurt the Palestinian cause. This can be seen in the connection implied by some [articles] between anti-Jewish attacks and protests supporting Palestinians. But more important, in the case of ANY group being targeted for reasons of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, political leanings or any other such classification and division, it must be opposed, forcefully and without reservation. Performing injustice in the name of fighting injustice is not only illogical and self-destructive, it is thoroughly immoral."